I’m back at Mountune to have the axle-back exhaust system installed on my Focus RS, but in the mean time it would have been rude not to take the MR265 Fiesta ST out for a little drive on some of the tightest countryside roads I could find.
Overhauling the standard car, Mountune’s top package takes power up 65hp, torque up 80Nm and brings the 0-60 down from 6.9s in the standard car to 5.7s. With all of that through the front wheels and a chassis that is set up like a go-kart, it makes for a hilarious amount of fun to drive.
More to follow with my new Focus RS exhaust in due course!
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an uncommunicative object? Watch as our tame racing driver has a wrestling match with the track-only Vulcan and its Herculean V12…
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Mr. Middleton is the founder and acting manager of Middleton Motor Services—an Ullenhall based full service garage established 30 years ago.
“Well, I’ll tell ya’ what. It’s 50 years on the 11th when I started my Austin apprenticeship and I was into motor racing straight away a couple years later.”
Middleton has shared quite the romantic racing history with some of the all-time great drivers and motorsport mechanics. In an emotional tone, Middleton reads off a personal letter from Fangio, thanking him for his help in the inaugural opening of the Fangio Museum.
With a seemingly endless archive of Haynes repair manuals within reach, a collection of still frame memories with the likes of Sterling Moss and Fangio, and a gentleman’s humble charm, it’s clear Middleton is far more than a fan of racing—its been his entire professional life. “It’s total passion,” Middleton describing his lifelong mechanical career, “It’s something that you feel for.”
Middleton’s understated white Delta doesn’t wear the commonly tacked on rear spoiler or Martini graphics. “The Lancia Integrale is a beautiful tool because it’s very unassuming. It hasn’t got a huge amount of horsepower, it’s got four-wheel-drive, which in these type of cars is very reassuring.”
Instead, it’s clean and orderly, maintained with the upmost precision. Maintained in the only mentality this veteran serviceman knows how to, “Everybody can make something look good, but it’s what’s underneath the paints that counts.”
The Cadillac ATS-V is, on paper at least, America’s best hope for a proper M3 competitor. In the real world, it’s not so simple. At least we’re finally learning how the ATS-V takes to modifications! This coupe, built for SEMA by Renick Performance of Newport Beach, CA, makes 520 Horsepower and 516 Torque at the wheels, and as such, should be a real riot on the street or track.
The Cadillac ATS-V is, on paper at least, America’s best hope for a proper M3 competitor. In the real world, it’s not so simple. At least we’re finally learning how the ATS-V takes to modifications! This coupe, built for SEMA by Renick Performance of Newport Beach, CA, makes 520 Horsepower and 516 Torque at the wheels, and as such, should be a real riot on the street or track.
No, not really, but maybe there’s a little more to it. I wanted to follow-up on yesterday’s drive of the Mercedes-AMG GT with some more reasoning, explanation and logic behind the thought process.
The AMG Private Lounge Days 2016 in Barcelona, Spain was a massive success! Enjoy this recap of the beautiful scenery, breathtaking cuisine, and of course, fast cars.
